MARILYN HAGERTY: Question of the week: Where did I put my gloves?

Dear Shirley,

I don't suppose you people down in Tucson ever wear gloves. Here in North Dakota, the year is divided in two parts. Glove time, which runs from pretty soon now until March. Then we are back to bare hands time again.

You know summer is over when the city leaf collector truck comes droning down the street, sucking up the piles raked up on the berms. They were down Cottonwood Street on Monday. The giant vacuum cleaner was accompanied by three men with rakes. Two of the men had bright green jackets.

We do enjoy the changing seasons here in North Dakota. We enjoy the change to spring much more than we enjoy fall slipping into winter.

I suppose your people of Tucson are creeping out of their air conditioning and welcoming winter residents.

This is homecoming week at UND with something going on every hour, every day through Sunday. I see by the school calendar that classes were dismissed here in Grand Forks on Wednesday for something called Professional Development Day. There is no school Thursday or Friday during the NDEA Instructional Conference at Bismarck.

The annual Sioux Banquet is tonight at the Alerus Center. I guess everyone around Grand Forks is supposed to go green Friday. That means they slip into a green shirt of some kind and go to a great big party in the evening at the Alerus.

There is one guy at the hockey and football games lately who is all green. I mean completely, Shirley. I have no idea who he is.

Love from your sister Marilyn, wearing green on the west bank of the Red River of the North.

P.S. Remember Bill the Mailman? Well, he died this week and I feel sad and filled with great memories. Bill Saumur was our mailman for years. The kids of the neighborhood loved him and followed him.

You used to send postcards signed "Bob Shinn" because you didn't have any kids. You had a troll named Bob. So one time when you were in town I introduced you to Bill. And he said, "Oh, you have a son named Bob?" And we said, "Ha-ha-ha, you have been reading our postcards."

Besides being a letter carrier, Bill Saumur was a pretty shrewd businessman. He loved listening to the Minnesota Twins. Once when we were going on a trip, he brought the mail out early and gave each of the three children a $5 bill.

Oh, how I loved to heckle him. Once, when the postal inspector was following him on his route, I hollered out the door to Bill. I said, "Can't you stop for coffee as you usually do?"

It's strange he took it all in his stride. He was a friend to so many. I think of Bill Saumur with a smile and admiration.

They are holding his funeral this morning at St. Michael's church. Bill has gone on ahead to heaven to sort the mail for those of us who make it through the Pearly Gates.

Reach Hagerty at mhagerty@gra.midco.net or at (701) 772-1055.